The Ship - Space for Humanity, Earth for Dragon Series - Preview Story
by Marty the Martian
Summary: Preview to Red Sky Rising, a future look at the descendants of Hiccup and Astrid and their lives on Earth and Mars. What once was dragon attacks on a small viking village, is now meteor attacks on a small blue planet. Adventure with a little romance and comedy on the side.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello again. While I've been away working on stuff, I checked out a few other FanFic stories looking for ideas I could steal... I mean looking for inspiration. I noticed a lot of stories took the HTTYD characters and put them in modern settings (often high school or college) and though I liked the Idea, I could not bring myself to take them away from Berk, but then it hit me.**

 **I had tried to write a different kind of story but it really didn't work out and it sat abandoned for most of the year until the idea hit to re-write it with the same style as the HTTYD FanFics but done with original characters. It really helped as the people in the old story finally came to life as the descendants of the Dragon Riders (I guess I'm just a one trick pony after all).**

 **The first short book is finished (hence you are about to read the first part) and the second has 16 chapters done. I hope you like the characters and the story,  
Marty**

* * *

Life on the Belt Series  
(prologue)  
The Ship

Gerwin Haddock was a very strange person. He was born on the 16th of July 1969 at 1:32 pm and he died in 2058 aged 89. Of course his entire family mourned his passing, but none more than his 6 year old great granddaughter April. To everyone else, Gerwin was simply a crazy old man with tales of Vikings and Dragons but ever since she was a little toddler, April loved to listen to Great Grandpa tell his amazing stories about her family's ancestors much to her mother's dismay. April's father felt sure Gerwin's tales were harmless fun, but her mother was worried by the fact that Gerwin thought they were all true.

Everyone would have been most surprised to learn the family history was indeed true even though some facts had become a little bit fuzzy over time.

"The Dragon Master had the body of a tree trunk and was stronger than a dozen oxen" Gerwin would say "and he bent the dragons to his will by sheer brute strength. What's more the Norse gods were so impressed by the beauty and wisdom of his noble wife Astrid the Fair, they bestowed upon her the gift of invisibility."

Even Gerwin himself would have been surprised at how inaccurate his history was, but he had no way of verifying the stories passed down from generation to generation. And so it was, the physical description of the Dragon Master had gotten mixed up with his father Stoick the Vast, while his wife's stealth skills had somehow been turned into something more supernatural.

April also enjoyed hearing Great Grandpa tell about what life was like on Earth before the meteors came. For centuries ago when the Dragon Master was a child, fiery death from above came in the form of murderous dragon hordes but for young April, it was fiery rocks raining down from the sky.

The first quarter of the 21st century had been plodding along quite well with only the usual problems humanity commonly inflicted on itself. Wars, crimes, corruption and drunken tourists were among some of the usual suspects but not long into the second quarter, a mostly metallic asteroid named Sholf-4 did a very foolish thing; it struck a massive rock asteroid at an incredibly high speed and shattered it into countless pieces. The result of this collision would eventually become catastrophic for all life on Earth because the newly formed cloud of rock and dust over 500 000 kilometres long settled into an elliptical orbit and regularly crossed paths with the home of all higher forms of life in the solar system.

Sometimes there was little more than pretty lights in the sky, but these shooting stars no longer brought joy and wonder to the people who witnessed them because everyone knew something far worse could be amongst the lights. When the Earth and the Sholf-4 cloud occasionally came together the result could be any combination of explosions in the sky, tsunami, or huge craters where towns or cities once stood.

Looking back, so many astronomers had assumed the end would come from one planet killing meteor; no one suspected it could be long and drawn out by thousands and thousands of smaller ones over many decades.

A few months after the first strike, everyone realised the only way humanity could hope to have a long term future, was to evacuate at least one thousand people (but more would be better) to a new home on the planet Mars. Several years later when robotic construction was well underway and the first human team were being chosen, many powerful people suddenly realised they had no hope of ever being included on the list of eventual colonists due to their general uselessness in survival situations. The result of this realisation was the formation of a new political force, the Earth First Alliance.

The EFA put to the people of Earth a new survival plan where instead of undertaking the difficult task of constructing an underground base on Mars for only a few thousand people, the effort would be much better spent building many such shelters all over the world where millions could live in relative safety. The fact that the Earth was slowly dying because of the semi regular bombardment, added to the risk of the original Sholf-4 iron meteor ending the planet in one flash of ultimate destruction, meant nothing to the hierarchy of the EFA. If they were going to stay on Earth, then better to have all effort put towards their survival and the rest of humanity be damned. (And so now we have the bad guys of our story.)

This was the world little April Haddock was born into; almost fifty people were already on the red planet doing their level best to make the base habitable for the thousands to come, while a useless and wasteful state of war existed between the EFA and rest of the world. One of the prime targets for the anti-Mars forces, were the various rocket construction and launch sites around the globe. It was assumed if nobody could get supplies to Mars during the early stages, it would simply fail and the idea would have to be abandoned.

To stop this from coming to pass, a new plan was begun nine years before April was born. At three mountainous sites on the equator in Venezuela, Kenya and West Sumatra, tunnels were built for powerful electromagnetic railgun supply launchers. From deep underground below sea level, projectiles the size of a bus (but much more aerodynamic) were fired into space, exiting the railgun from the top of a mountain. The railgun at Mount Singgalang, West Sumatra Indonesia, was also chosen as trial site for the Mars base underground survival systems and so this is where the story really starts, but not quite yet.

Maybe it was the dragon stories she heard from Great Grandpa Gerwin, or maybe it was because she was just that kind of kid, but little April loved to play with lizards, frogs and snakes as well as the bugs she would feed to them. As she grew and moved on to higher learning, her interests evolved into the good and bad relationships the agricultural sector had with various insects and the best ways to take advantage of biodiversity. As a young woman of high intelligence and academic drive, she entered university just before her sixteenth birthday and was immediately drafted onto a team designing and perfecting indoor agricultural systems for the rapidly growing Mars colony. Less than one year later, April was chosen to become a member of the Martian community.

April's work with soil, insects and hydroponics was now intermixed with intensive training to prepare her for the trip to Mars. This training of course, brought with it many new challenges; one of whom was fellow trainee Luis Dias.

Twenty two year old Luis from Columbia had formerly served as the pilot of fighter aircraft for the international coalition protecting all space launch assets from EFA attack, until his aptitude for micro gravity manoeuvres showed up on simulator tests. Now as trainee for a future career as commander of the Mars Transfer Vehicle, Luis found it difficult to concentrate on his work whenever April Haddock was nearby. Every time they were in the same room, April could not escape the sensation of Luis's gaze and whenever he caught her eye she always noticed the same look on his face; it was a kind of cross between puppy dog and blissful joy.

Six months later, in a vain attempt to change Luis's mind and make him think again about pursuing her romantically, April agreed to go on a dinner date with him during which she talked about the strangest and most disgusting insect facts she could think of along with the most boring things related to plant biology. Much to her surprise, the date went very well so she pulled out the big ammo of direct accusation.

"You haven't understood a word I've said all evening, have you?" she sneered.

"Of course not; but I would listen to you talk about the lower intestine of the Yangtze River Dolphin just to hear the sound of your voice."

"Just what is it you want from me Luis" April asked forcefully.

"I want to spend my life at your side, raise a family of children with your beauty and intelligence before dying of old age in your arms."

They were married three months later, several weeks before Luis left Earth for the final time, while April continued with her work and awaited her eventual departure as well.

One of her Viking ancestors once bragged about how fertile the women of her family were and April soon discovered she was definitely a chip off the old block. So as she continued to test and perfect the Martian agriculture systems both in the lab and inside the West Sumatra test site, her superiors did their best to try and get her to go off the planet while she could still fit into a fight suit.

In an interesting twist of fate, April would soon fly on a dragon just like the people who came before her, but hers would be white, metal and almost 200 feet tall.

* * *

 **And so, it begins. Sorry there will be no more funny Moon stories now he is gone, but next week begins the first real chapter of the story (7 more to go).**

 **Bye :-D**


	2. Chapter 2

**The last chapter was written two weeks ago but the next seven were written about eight months ago. The main part of this story starts fifteen years after this bit but when I started referring to this time, I thought I'd better write out a basic history so I didn't get the facts mixed up. When I started the re-write, it became clear there was a chance for a bit more depth with some characters. Thanks for reading :-D**

* * *

The Ship

Part 1

"Come in" Prime Governor Redding responded to the knock on his door.

"Good evening sir" his visitor greeted as she entered.

"Olive Roux it is so good to see you one last time" Redding smiled broadly.

"It's good to see you too sir."

As the lead overseer of the Earth Evacuation Council, Redding very rarely had reason to smile. This was because just like any other person with a high position, Redding felt like he did not have enough power and would have been much more comfortable as a dictator, rather than a governor.

"I thought you'd be at the Nevada launch site by now making final preparations" he noted.

"We should be wheels up in two hours but... we have a problem sir" Roux lowered her voice.

"Don't tell me; Professor Linton Adisa has been throwing his considerable weight around again."

This comment was hardly fair on the good professor for although he was very tall, he was not excessively large.

"Yes Governor; the ship set sail a few hours ago and he took most of his team with him... including Ms. Dias."

"WHAT?" Governor Redding rapidly turned very red "WHY DIDN'T YOU STOP HIM?"

"Sir, I don't officially take over as lead coordinator until I arrive on Mars" Olive explained "Until then, Linton Adisa is still the boss and he knows it."

"RRAARGH!" the Governor roared as he kicked his waste paper basket across the room.

"I know how you feel sir. Sometimes I wish we could just leak information about the tanker to some Earth First Alliance militia group and let them blow it up" Roux admitted.

The room would have fallen into complete silence, if not for the furious snorting breath of the Governor. Olive Roux tried to think of something to say to calm him down, but nothing came to mind.

"Wait a minute" Redding raised his head at last "If the Earth Firsters did know about the ship, what would they do about it?"

"At the very least, they would try to take it for themselves; or more likely, sink it."

Governor Redding smiled as he pace back and forth thinking about the situation.

"We can't sir" Roux sounded shocked "All other reasons aside, we need those people. With other launch sites around the world under constant risk of attack from the Alliance, we must keep Sumatra running in complete secrecy, or Mars colony could fail within a year."

"Don't worry Olive; I'm not going to leak any information to those Earth First idiots. But consider what lengths Adisa would go to if he thought the EFA were closing in on him."

"I don't follow you sir."

"We need three things to happen Olive; April Dias at the Nevada launch site, Linton Adisa's crew locked up in Sumatra and the contents of that damn ship lost and gone forever. So if the good Professor suddenly found out there was a bunch of fanatical conspirators on their way to take him and his friend's prisoner... or even worse..."

"I think I follow you now sir." Olive Roux grinned "I'm sure Professor Adisa would go along with any kind of rescue we sent his way, and without any argument at all."

"How many EFA fighter aircraft do we have in our possession?" Redding asked.

"I'm sure we have enough" Roux smiled and nodded "Along with a few loyal pilots of our own."

"Excellent!" Redding grinned.

* * *

Thousands of miles away, Doctor Willow Pascal sighed as she leant on the starboard rail. She stared listlessly at the moonlit volcanic island of Hawaii as the tanker slowly made its way past the long deserted island chain. Due to the limits place on its usable life, along with the heavy secrecy surrounding its contents, no name was ever given to the giant tanker and everyone on board, including its crew, simply called it The Ship.

"Lovely view eh boss?" Sid Cartwright noted.

"It sure is Sid. I'm gonna miss sights like this when we enter the complex."

"I'm sure we won't have to go into lockdown straight away, so you should be able to enjoy many tropical moons for many years to come."

"Assuming a meteorite doesn't score a direct hit on us."

"Not very likely" Sid lied "but we'll be so far underground, I'm sure we would survive a city killer."

"I know, but it just seems so unfair that we have to give up living on the surface just to avoid a bunch of blind, greedy people who should open their eyes and smell the coffee" Willow fumed.

"Um... err..." was the only reply Sid could come up with to his section leader's rant.

"You know what I mean Sid" she explained "How many times do we have to endure another bout of space bombs before the so called Earth First Alliance realises that we can't just stay here on this planet and hope for the best? We must keep sending supplies and equipment to Mars just to be sure there will be a human race in the future."

"I honestly think they do believe it, but they just don't want to accept the fact that they don't get to go and be saved" Sid added.

"But we're not going either Sid."

"Ah, but they don't know that Willow; they think we're going to sneak off and leave them to die alone and they think this ship is proof of that belief."

"Maybe we should just forget the whole idea and sink it ourselves" Willow sighed.

"I don't believe that; and neither do you."

"I suppose so, but it is depressing to know that by the time Mars base is finally big enough to take more people, all of us will be too old to go."

"It won't be ready for many years, but it makes me feel good knowing that we had a hand in getting it ready for the people living there now. If I knew I was to die tonight, I would still sleep well knowing I'd done quite a bit of good with my life."

"That's a pretty good way of looking at it Sid; you're a wise man."

"And think about this too; there is a future baby on this ship who will be born on Mars."

"Are my ears burning?" April Dias asked as she stepped over the door sill and onto the deck.

Willow and Sid both grinned broadly as Professor Adisa helped the heavily pregnant young lady over to the rail.

"So how are you both doing tonight?" Willow asked.

"Very well thank you" Linton Adisa nodded.

"I wasn't talking to you Professor" Willow declared as she placed her hand on April's belly, hoping for some sign of movement.

"I don't know why you came on this trip" Sid shook his head "I could have sent you pictures, video images, anything you needed."

"Thanks Sid but I really want to see how the plant growth systems are coping with their underground environment and reflected light. What I learn from seeing it firsthand could be invaluable if we run into trouble on Mars."

"Yeah I suppose it would be difficult to come back and check it out later, but you're not only pregnant April, you are VERY pregnant."

"Oh Sid" April chuckled "I'm not going to pop for at least another six weeks and as you noted, I'll be on Mars by then."

"Don't be so sure April" Willow wag her finger "Babies can be very unpredictable, no matter what your obstetrician tells you. When my sister..."

All conversation suddenly ceased when April suddenly bent over, grabbed her stomach and gave a loud frightened moan.

"You are joking with us?" Sid asked in a very weak voice "Please tell me you are joking with us!"

* * *

 **A mysterious ship, a strange conspiracy and an impending child; I certainly hope I have piqued your interest. There was a time when I considered a story about Astrids first pregnancy but it wouldn't work with the time frame I like to work in (the period between films one and two) so descendants seemed like the way to go.**

 **I thought it would be great to be publishing again, but I actually feel a little scared (what a wuss I am).**


	3. Chapter 3

**Earlier this week as I was writing one of the later chapters, I suddenly thought it was time to start putting some humorous author notes at the end again. Then I proof read this one and realised this was not the chapter to start on.**

* * *

The Ship

Part 2

To paraphrase a famous line from an even more famous 1939 movie, the medical bay of an oil tanker was not designed for birthing no babies and although there were several doctors on board, April currently had very little use for a bunch of overqualified engineers.

Fortunately for everyone involved, April in particular, there was one true medical doctor on board, Quill Vieira who had volunteered to head up the small medical staff at the launch complex in Sumatra.

"Breathe Mrs. Dias" ordered Doctor Vieira.

"OH MY GOD!"

"You may call out to your Deity as much as you wish Mrs. Dias but I still insist you breathe."

Professor Linton Adisa waited impatiently in a cabin across the passage. Willow sat next to him and worried with enough energy to power a small village while Sid paced back and forth. Linton had decided he should break the long silence, when two more non-medical doctors hurried in.

"Any word yet?" Doctor Henry Deming the staff biologist asked urgently.

Before anyone could reply, another cry of pain from the medical office answered the question for everyone just as physicist Doctor Sarah Spencer followed Henry through the door. She in turn was followed closely by the soft paws and jingling bell of her cat Bogart. Willow picked up the small ginger stripped cat to stop him from following his owner any further.

"You'd better go in Sarah" Willow nodded "April was asking for you."

"On my way" she smiled and slipped into the doctors rooms.

"Olive Roux is gonna throw a fit when she finds out April has gone into labour" Henry said with a little fear in his voice.

"Well don't think for a minute I'm going to be the one to tell her" Linton Adisa pouted.

"It's your job to deal with headquarters Professor" Willow noted.

"Then I resign" he insisted.

"Coward" Sid smirked.

One of the ship's crew hurried by in the passage way, not wanting to be close to the medical quarters any longer than he needed to. Even the most hardened of sailors found it difficult to cope with the sounds of childbirth echoing off the steel walls of the ship. His desire to get away quickly went unfulfilled however, when Linton Adisa stepped out into the passageway and called the sailor back. Nobody in the impromptu could hear the conversation thanks to Aprils continues exclamations.

"What was that all about?" Sid asked when the Professor returned.

"I too know the unpredictability's of pregnancy, so I had a special pallet of equipment put on board before we departed from San Diego. I just asked the young man to have it put on the deck midship."

This new information had everybody confused as to what the Professor had brought and what it had to do with April and her baby.

As time passed by with excruciating slowness, the conversation eventually turned to stories and rumours of births continuing not for hours, but for days. Everyone was relieved however when after another eighty seven minutes, they were blessed with the sound of a crying new born. The whole group sprang to their feet when the door to the medical bay opened and Doctor Vieira stepped out.

"Well?" Willow asked.

"It's a boy" Quill grinned "Mother and baby doing well."

Cheers and shouting filled the room as the small group celebrated the wonderful news, until Linton decided the time had come for him to make use of his special cargo.

"Do me a favour Sid; go ask the captain if he can spare us some of his men and meet me on deck. Oh, and ask him to turn on the floodlights."

Sid did as Professor Adisa asked and soon found himself with several annoyed sailors, each wearing a spray pack on their backs, painting the deck of the ship in the middle of the night.

"I was kinda hoping you would have told me what we're doing Professor" he asked as he swept the spray nozzle back and forth.

"We're painting Sid" came the obvious reply.

"I'm gonna want more than that Prof."

"It's very simple; Luis Dias is currently in low Earth orbit loading and preparing the Mars Transfer Vehicle for it next journey. Before we set sail, I spoke to him and suggested that he use his observation equipment to keep an eye on the ship as he passed overhead."

"So when he sees the ship is turning blue, he'll know he's the father of a baby boy" Sid realised.

"Or the ship is suffering from hypothermia" one witty sailor noted.

"So the other two drums must contain..." Sid began.

"Pink paint" Linton nodded.

After a long night of painting and celebrating, the scientists and engineers bound for the Sumatran launch complex eventually staggered off to bed and were gently rocked to sleep by the gentle movement of the ship. Sid and most the others slept late after the previous nights excitement and breakfast was eventually served at about 3pm the next day. Sarah and Willow however, took turns with Doctor Vieira to watch over the exhausted April Dias and her premature baby boy.

Any further hope Professor Adisa had for a peaceful journey to Sumatra, was dashed when he was called to meet with the ship's captain later that afternoon.

"I've just received a very disturbing communiqué from the US" the captain began when Linton arrived.

"Are you sure I'll want to hear it?" Linton asked.

"I'm sure you won't. It seems the Earth First Alliance has gotten wind of what you're doing and what this ship is carrying. Headquarters fears an attack is imminent and so it has been decided to move up the next launch to the Mars Transfer Vehicle. There is a helicopter en-route to pick up Ms. Dias and take her to Nevada; four more transports will follow to take your people to the Sumatra site."

"How long will it be before the first one arrives?"

"It will be here just after sunset Professor. Headquarters is hoping to get everyone away under the cover of darkness."

"That should give us enough time to be prepared" Linton agreed "I'll tell everyone and get them ready to go."

"Good luck sir."

"And to you Captain."

* * *

A few hours later, April Dias tried not to worry as she lay on a gurney with her as yet un-named newborn in her arms. Sarah Spencer was doing her best to keep the young mother calm as they waited inside the door to the ship's heli-deck.

"I wouldn't want to admit it to my mother, but now I'm glad she insisted I take a bag of baby supplies everywhere I go" April smirked as she look at the pack Sarah held for her.

"Just think April; some day you'll be giving this little lad sage advice and he'll just ignore it as well."

Before April could think of a snappy come back, the ships second officer appeared from behind her giving them both a start.

"Your transport will be down in five minutes. We want to get you on board quickly, as there's an EFA attack drone on its way."

"An ATTACK DRONE?" Sarah cried out.

"Don't worry" the man reassured them "the ships defences will make short work of it, but we don't want you and the helicopter here when the shooting starts."

"I don't like this Sarah" April declared as the officer disappeared back the way he had come from.

"But don't you want to be well away from here before the attack?"

"This ship has defences Sarah, but a medical evac chopper?"

"You and junior will be long gone and much safer on that helicopter. If that wasn't the case, I'm sure they wouldn't risk it" Sarah held the frightened mothers hand.

Just then Sid appeared with Amos Hooke, one of the other engineers bound for tropical climes.

"Hi April" Sid greeted her with a broad smile "We've come to help you onto your flight."

"I'm not sure I want to go Sid" April began to hyperventilate.

"Calm down young lady; it won't be long before you and the baby will be flying off to Mars with Luis for a brand new life."

"A few days ago, I'd have been on that chopper in less than a second but now..." April looked at the child she held firmly, yet softly.

The steel walls began to vibrate as the helicopter approached and touched down; Amos opened the door before assisting Sid with the gurney. April was only half outside when the PA system crackled into life.

"EMERGENCY: ALL HANDS TO DEFENCE STATIONS. THIS IS NOT A DRILL, ALL HANDS TO DEFENCE STATIONS."

A shrill alarm followed the frightening announcement as two paramedics stepped down from the helicopter. They ran over to the gurney and took April from her friends. Sarah followed them all the way to the floodlit machine and threw Aprils bags through the door. She was about to hurl the baby supplies on board as well when a frantic voice stopped her.

"SARAH; TAKE HIM!"

Sarah Spencer stared in shock as April held the baby out to her trusted friend.

"I... I can't" she replied.

"I SAID TAKE HIM; and keep him safe."

Sarah looked into Aprils eyes, tears streaming down her face as klaxons sounded all around.

"With my life" Sarah promised.

She took the child from his mother and hurried back to the door. Sid and Amos could not believe their eyes when Sarah returned with the baby. The three took one last look at the helicopter as it lifted off and departed into the night. April's friends watched with relief as the small aircraft disappeared safely into the night.

"Wait!" Sid stopped Amos from closing the door.

Much to everyones horror, the attack drone appeared in the sky behind them, but it was not heading for the ship. Although the helicopter was quite far away and moving quickly, its navigation lights still shone brightly in the darkness. A new flash of light appeared as the drone released one of its deadly air to air missiles.

"Dear God NO!" Sarah gasped as the weapon snaked its way through the sky.

Scientists, Engineers and crew all over the ship watched helplessly as the evil device continued to track its helpless prey through the night sky. Sarah fell to her knees, the baby safe in her arms as a ball of yellow and white erupted only a few kilometres behind the ship.

It felt to Sarah like her heart had stopped as the reality of Aprils sudden death squeezed the life out of her too. Unsure of what to do next, Sarah got to her feet and hurried back to the medical bay where the baby was born less than a day before. As soon as she was inside, Sarah shut the outer door, dropped the bag of supplies on the floor and sat on the couch in the outer room.

Her lips quivered as she rocked back and forth with April's last words still ringing in her ears.

"With my life" Sarah repeated her promise "With... my... life."

* * *

 **Sorry about the cliff hanger. What can I say but more to come soon and thanks again everyone for reading. Thanks also to Stripesicles222 for the reviews :-D**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello everyone :-D  
Answer to guest reviewers question: Short answer – no. Long answer – I thought about using original character names but decided to go with decedents so it would not be confusing. Some of the characters you have not met yet, have a mix of Hiccup and Astrid personalities in them (Spoiler Alert; some will be obvious like a certain young man who likes to fiddle with mechanical things, but keeps his legs).  
I agonised about if it was okay to post this as a HTTYD story at all, but in the end figured others have done strange things too so why not? I am contemplating having some future character discover the ruins of Berk and find clues to their interesting history, but not sure yet.  
**

* * *

The Ship

Part 3

A vale of despair hung over the ship after the destruction of Aprils transport and all activity would have surely ceased if it were not for the attack drone turning back towards its new target.

The heartless aircraft flew around the stern of the ship at a distance of nine hundred metres until it was halfway along the starboard side. At this point the drone banked sharply to make its first attack run on the ship itself. Two more missiles dropped from under its wings and lit up the night sky as the rocket motors fired.

Unlike the air to air heat seeker responsible for destroying the Medivac Helicopter, these missiles were guided by active radar and their one purpose in life was to tear two massive holes in the side of the ship and send it down to a watery grave. This intended victim however, was not as helpless as the drone's last target.

Standing ready to protect the ship were four phalanx guns lined up along each side of the deck with one more on each bridge wing. The offending missiles were cut into shreds by a thousand rounds of red hot ammunition before they had any chance of hitting their target and they were soon scattered in pieces across the waves.

Before the drone itself could line up with the ship to fire again, another air to air missile struck its exhaust outlet and blew it to hell. The grateful crew breathed a heavy sigh of relief as the helicopter gunship responsible for the drones destruction circled around the ship followed by four heavy transport choppers.

The ships PA came alive once more, but this time it was to order all personnel bound for Sumatra, to grab their gear and assemble at the stern of the ship.

While the other members of the team gathered as ordered, Linton Adisa had another course of action in mind. Mounted on the wall just inside each of the main doors was a small cupboard containing ropes, life jackets and a flare gun. It was this last item that held the Professors interest as he pulled one out of its container, loaded it and strode off towards the first of the transport helicopters as it landed on the rear helipad.

The side door of the helicopter slid open and an Aviation Officer stepped down onto the deck, but the officer was very surprised when a tall Professor knocked him aside and leapt aboard. Linton went forward and surprised the flight crew by shoving the business end of the pistol under the pilots chin.

"Err sir... that's a flare gun" he noted.

"DAMN RIGHT IT IS" Linton cried out.

"Would you be so kind as to put it down sir?"

"I'LL PUT IT DOWN WHEN YOU TELL ME WHY YOU WAITED UNTIL MY FRIEND WAS DEAD BEFORE YOU PEOPLE CHOSE TO SHOOT DOWN THAT DRONE!"

"I take it your friend was on the helicopter the drone just destroyed sir."

"YES...she was" Linton declared through gritted teeth.

"Believe me sir, we had no knowledge about the other transport" the pilot explained in a 'matter of fact' voice that angered the Professor even more.

"So you just allowed it to be destroyed?"

"You have to understand sir, we were ordered here to transfer your people to the carrier USS Ernie Jackson, before sending you on to Sumatra with only one helicopter gunship as escort. While it is true the gunship is much faster than these transports and could have arrived here sooner, we were completely unaware of the drones presence until it came into range."

"So why didn't you do anything about it as soon as you saw it?"

"We did sir; as soon as the drone appeared on our radar, the gunship broke formation and set off with full intentions of destroying it. I really am very sorry sir; we were simply too late."

The pilots excuse sounded plausible and Linton began to wonder if he just wanted someone to blame for Aprils pointless death. He dropped the flare gun onto the floor of the flight deck and wandered to the back of the cabin. The co-pilot rose up from his seat, intending to restrain the Professor but the pilot stopped him.

Linton Adisa let his head drop into his hands as he desperately tried to process his thoughts. Other members of his staff were now being helped on board as the evacuation proceeded so with a heavy sigh, the professor finally stood and exited the helicopter. Feeling thoroughly dejected, he wandered back off the helipad as the gunship circled around the ship.

"Linton, have you seen Sarah?" Amos asked "We can't find her and she's got Aprils baby."

"Are you telling me the baby wasn't on the helicopter when... when it..."

"No sir, April gave him to Doctor Spencer; it was almost as if she knew."

"Have you checked her cabin?"

"Yes sir Professor; no luck there."

Linton thought for a moment about where he would go if he had just been given a baby.

"Did you look in the medical quarters?"

"No Professor" Amos replied.

The two men made straight for the aft stairwell and ran up three flights climbing two steps with each stride. When they reached the door to the medical bay, Professor Adisa stopped, took a deep breath and opened the door.

"I am so glad to see you both" he smiled.

Sarah was silent but she could not stop crying.

"It's alright" he comforted her as he sat.

"It's not alright" Sarah sobbed "April's dead and I don't know how to raise a child."

"Ah, but I do" Linton cooed as he reached for the child "I think my children turned out quite well."

Sarah handed over the tiny boy but did not know what to say in reply. She knew the professor did indeed have three adult children, and she also knew they had all been killed eight years ago along with his wife when one of the Sholf-4 meteorites had exploded over a farming community in southern Germany.

"I... I'm so sorry Professor Adisa. I didn't mean to bring up..."

"It's alright Sarah" Linton replied "Even though they are gone, I am still very proud of them."

"What should we do about him Professor; do we take him with us to Sumatra?"

"For now yes; we certainly can't leave him on the ship. Come along Sarah, let us go and tell the Captain."

Just as the second helicopter was lifting off with its full load of passengers, Sarah and the Professor entered the bridge to the surprise of the captain and his officers.

"What the... he's still alive? Didn't he go on the..."

"April gave him to me at the last second because she thought it was too dangerous to take him" Sarah informed the captain.

"And it would appear she was right" he replied.

"I would like you to note in your log that we intend to take the child with us Captain. We will try to get word to his father via Olive Roux as soon as we reach Sumatra and I would ask you to do the same when you next make contact with anyone back in the US" Linton Adisa asked.

"I'll see to it personally Professor and then I intend to shut down all communications to prevent the EFA from tracking our signal. Goodbye and good luck."

"And to you too Captain."

Linton walked over to the front of the bridge and looked out over the badly painted deck.

"You did not deserve to start your life this way my little blue boy, but I do hope you find more joy and happiness as you grow, than you did when you first came into this world."

Linton and Sarah caught the last of the four transports with Willow Pascal and the members of her engineering team. The professor felt sure the entire journey would have been taken in complete silence if it were not for the presence of a very tiny passenger. After getting him back from Professor Adisa, Sarah had not managed to hold on to him for very long before all the others demanded to have their turn to hold the smallest evacuee.

"Excuse me sir" one of the flight officers caught the professors attention "If you would come with me sir, the pilot would like to have a word with you."

As Linton followed the young officer forward, he felt a certain relief it would not be the same pilot he had threatened earlier.

"We'll be arriving on the carrier soon Professor" the pilot informed Linton "We've moved to the front of the queue and will land first so you can co-ordinate the transfer of your people onto the fixed wing transports for the next leg of your journey."

Professor Adisa looked out of the windscreen and saw the carrier was not far off at and he could see some kind of jet fighter aircraft being pushed towards the stern of the ship. As the helicopter drew even closer, he noticed the craft had no engine in the rear and appeared to be no more than an empty shell. He was even more surprised when the aircraft was pushed from the fantail and into the sea.

"Don't worry sir, that plane was never going to fly again" the pilot noted "When we can't fix 'em any more, we strip 'em of all useful parts and dump 'em."

"Yes... I suppose that make the most sense" Linton nodded.

Back on the tanker, the ship's captain was pondering both a chart of Southeast Asia and the possibility of his own paranoia.

"Just for a moment Number One, imagine you're the commander of the EFA force who sent that drone" he asked his first officer.

"I can assure you sir, I am one hundred percent loyal" the young officer smiled.

"Good, so I won't have to shoot you. Now consider this; you send a drone to attack a ship but a well timed helicopter gunship spoils your party, so what do you do next?"

"I err... set an ambush in the open ocean where the ship is undefended."

"And where would you choose for this ambush?"

"Before it reached North Maluku , somewhere between Micronesia and Palau seems the most likely place Captain."

"I agree, although I would have guessed west of the Marshall Islands myself. Helmsman; bring the ship about due south."

"Due south, aye Captain" the helmsman acknowledged.

"We'll sail around the southern tip of the Solomons and head for the Timor Sea; that should help us to avoid any nasty surprises" the captain noted.

"This will delay our arrival in Sumatra by about thirty two hours. Should I communicate this to the council and Professor Adisa Captain?"

"No definitely not! In fact have the power to the radio shut off immediately; I don't want the EFA getting a fix on our signal."

"But Captain, we could always leave the radio on to receive communications."

"Too risky Number One; if the EFA find us, they'll do their utmost to stop us. Shut it down now!"

* * *

 **As previously mentioned, this story was written a long time ago and has been re-done several times. I still could not keep myself from tearing up over the bits with Sarah, Linton and the baby (sigh).  
Big surprise next time (evil laugh).**


	5. Chapter 5

**I had to post this a few days early because I hated the thought of readers not knowing what you are about to find out. This preview story has only three more chapters to go which is good because it is so depressing. Horrible things seem to be happening to everyone and it's only going to get worse. But after part 7 comes the main story set fifteen years later with a many more fun things in it. Thanks for persevering with it and I hope you find it a good story in the end.**

* * *

The Ship

Part 4

"Come in" Prime Governor Redding responded to the knock on his door as he felt a curious case of déjà vu.

"Good evening sir" his visitor greeted as she entered.

"Olive Roux it is so good to see you for one last time... again" Redding smiled broadly.

"It's good to see you too sir. I'll be heading off to the Nevada launch site now to make final preparations."

"Yes of course you will."

"We should be wheels up in two hours and I have some wonderful news" Roux lowered her voice.

"Well that will make a pleasant change" Redding noted.

"Events on the tanker went off pretty much as planned with the drone. Everyone believes April Dias is dead and they are blaming the EFA when in reality she is on her way back here while Professor Adisa and his crew are on their way to Sumatra."

"Did Adisa give them any trouble?"

"Of course he did sir. The good professor even threatened one of the helicopter pilots with a flare gun."

"Typical Adisa" Redding shook his head.

"The pilot did an excellent job in defusing the situation while convincing Linton to do precisely what we wanted him to do. His name is Lieutenant Neville Sage and I think we could use someone like him to help keep people in line on Mars."

"If you believe so Olive; now get rid of that ship once and for all" Redding smiled.

"Yes sir; I'll give the order to have it scuttled."

Olive Roux felt like the world was at her feet as she strode down to the communications center. As soon as the tanker was on the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, the argument about overpopulation on Mars would be mooted at last and she could run things as she saw fit.

"I have an urgent message to be encoded and relayed to the tanker" Olive ordered as she entered the radio room.

With satellite communication no longer an option and land lines to difficult to maintain with a greatly reduced population, the age old system of long distance relay towers had been pressed back into service.

"Go ahead Ms. Roux" one of the operators acknowledged as Olive considered her words.

"Site twelve Sumatra has fallen to the EFA. Vessels contents must not fall into enemy hands. Launch all boats immediately and scuttle the ship. Crew should avoid Sumatra and evacuate to the Asian mainland or to southern Europe. Good luck, Olive Roux."

The operator read back the message before encoding it and soon Olive was driving away to meet April's plane, unaware of the tankers dead radio. When she had retrieved the pregnant botanist, they could then meet up with the last human evacuees from Earth at the launch site in Nevada. Then it would only be another few days till launch and they could all begin their long journey to Mars.

It was a long drive to the air strip but Olive did not mind, all the pressure she had felt for the last two years was now just melting away. Ever since the day Linton Adisa had put forward the idea to extend the length of his railgun to reduce the acceleration G-force, thus making it possible to launch humans from the facility, she and the council had been very concerned about overpopulation on Mars if the Earth First Alliance ever got their hands on the technology and equipment.

No matter what kind of rhetoric the EFA leadership put forward to its followers, Olive Roux knew the true aim of the breakaway group, was to take control of the evacuation of Earth so they could send only the people the EFA wanted to send; themselves and their own forces.

Two hours and forty three minutes after she arrived at the air strip, Olive watched a small, aged transport plane finally touch down on the main runway. It taxied around and came to a halt twenty meters from the terminal building. When the door opened and the steps were unfolded to the tarmac, Olive hurried up into the plane to greet her friend and help her down to the stairs.

The sight that greeted Olive was both unexpected and disturbing. Exhausted from the long trip and still not fully recovered after hours of being in labour, April Dias lay on a cot near the back of the plane fast asleep, and she was clearly no longer carrying a child.

"What the..." Roux exclaimed.

Just when she thought things were going her way at last, second cousin to the Bluebird of Happiness, the Pelican of everything going Down the Toilet, flew overhead and made his presence obvious.

"April... can you hear me?" Olive Roux spoke as she knelt down by the cot.

"She's been like that ever since we left the carrier" one of the pilots noted as he entered from the flight deck "Apparently she received some bad news and they had to sedate her."

"What happened to the baby?" Olive snapped.

"Err... we weren't told to pick up any baby Ma-am, just Mrs. Dias" the pilot replied.

"Just get out of here and don't speak to anyone until I've debriefed the both of you."

Both pilots departed quickly without another word being said as Olive turned her attention back to the sleeping young woman.

"Are you alright April?" Roux asked urgently.

April eventually stirred but could not say anything coherent, so Olive sent for a Medical Retrieval team to have her removed from the plane.

The pressure was back. Stress returned with a vengeance as Roux hurried back to the building by the air strip. After a brief search she found the pilots enjoying a very bad coffee alone in the lunch room; the pair snapped to attention and held out a manila envelope as she approached. It was plain to see these two men believed themselves to be in big trouble and Olive knew she could turn this to her advantage.

"Sit down please gentlemen" Roux sat with the pilots and took the envelope marked 'Olive Roux – Eyes Only.

Opening it up, she found a report inside from the carrier's medical officer. The letter told of April's distress upon learning of the tankers sinking with the loss of all hands. When she could not be consoled, a strong sedative had been administered. Olive Roux's heart sank; all her planning had just gone up in smoke. To get the child back, she would have to admit to Linton Adisa how she had faked April's death and then lied to the tanker's crew about the Sumatra launch site. There was nothing left for Olive to do but to face the music and come clean about her involvement in this conspiracy; and there was no way she was going to do that.

"Wait here" she ordered the pilots and ran to a phone near the lunch room door.

"Get me the infirmary" she barked into the mouthpiece.

"I'm calling about April Dias; I want a counsellor by her side constantly till she gets to the Nevada launch site... no wait, scratch that; just keep her unconscious" Olive ordered the medics.

As soon as she had hung up, Olive returned to the pilots and gestured them to lean in close.

"This occurrence is bound to be investigated at the highest level but I believe you should be able to avoid having any of the fallout... shall we say... falling heavily onto you. Now what were your orders?"

"As soon as the helicopter returned from the tanker to the USSJohn F. Kennedy, we were to transfer Doctor April Dias to our plane and transport her here at once. While this operation was occurring, Transports from the USS Ernie Jackson would transfer Professor Adisa's people to site twelve."

"And you were not informed of Doctor Dias's condition?"

"Err... what condition Ms. Roux?"

"She was pregnant" Olive informed the men who looked at each other uncertainly.

"No we were not told anything of the sort" the pilot stated adamantly.

"Are you aware the EFA has since attacked and destroyed both the tanker and site twelve?"

"No Ms. Roux, we were not aware of that at all; we did not leave the flight deck of our plane while Ms. Dias was brought onboard" the shocked co-pilot revealed.

"So as I see it, you had no way of knowing Doctor Dias's condition and you carried out your orders fully and to the letter. I'll inform Prime Governor Redding of what has transpired and you may both return to your ship as soon as you're ready."

The relief on the pilot's faces was very clear as Olive Roux stood and walked to the lunch door.

"One more thing gentlemen" she spun around and hurried back.

Once again Roux leant in close and spoke softly.

"The EFA is sure to spread their own propaganda about all this, so if you hear of anyone trying to make people believe the attacks on the tanker and site twelve did not happen, do nothing about it but keep an eye on whoever is saying these things. It may only be rumours bouncing around, but it could also mean you have an EFA sympathiser amongst you."

As she pulled away from the airstrip and drove back the way she had come, Roux felt a certain amount of pride about the way she had handled the situation. Night was falling which meant Redding and the other council members would be retiring long before Olive retuned. She decided to head back to the city and make an appointment to see the Prime Governor first thing in the morning. Nevada would have to wait until the council had been informed about the latest developments, and site twelve had been well and truly taken care of; once and for all.

* * *

 **Thanks again for reading and I'll see you all soon,**  
 **Marty.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Just a short chapter this time. Main story is coming along nicely but you won't be seeing it this month. Reason why at the end.**

* * *

The Ship

Part 5

"Welcome back to Sumatra Professor" the civil engineer greeted Linton Adisa and took his bosses bag.

"After the time we've had, I'd say it was good to be back again Harry."

"Bad trip sir?"

"We were attacked by the EFA; April Dias was killed."

Harry Led Professor Adisa to a four wheel drive parked on the edge of the airstrip for the trip inland to the Railgun Complex main entrance. It was obvious the older man was not taking his friends death well.

"Oh; I didn't know the young lady personally sir, but I did know you were very close."

"Yes Harry, she was like a daughter to me" Linton sighed.

"And she was headed to Mars soon too, wasn't she sir?"

"She kept putting it off, wanting to make sure the equipment we were developing would have the best chance to survive the trip to Mars and then produce the highest yields."

"Is that why she was coming here with you sir?" Harry asked as he turned over the diesel engine.

"Yes; she wanted to inspect some of the older units we have here to see how they were holding up and where any faults were developing."

"Mars colony will still be able to get more equipment and spares from you for the foreseeable future sir."

"Hopefully Harry, but that all depends on future meteorite strikes and if we can stay hidden from the EFA."

"Well you'll be happy to know the tunnel extension was completed three days ago and the dismantling of the tunnel boring machines is ahead of schedule so you will be able to start fitting it out with the new launch equipment as soon as the ship gets here."

"Hang on a minute Harry" Linton asked suspiciously "If you are so far ahead with the tunnel work, does that mean there've been more delays in the current batch of launches?"

"I didn't want to be the one to tell you sir but some of the power relays have been overloading and it's been slowing things down for the launch crews."

"But their loss was your gain time wise, eh Harry?"

"I couldn't have put it better myself sir" the civil engineer admitted.

"I'll have to get Willow's team onto redesigning the system as soon as they've settled in. I assume the residential sectors are ready for the new tenants?"

"Pretty much sir; all the remaining work is purely cosmetic."

Linton turned his head and gazed out the window as he watched an abandoned farm roll by. It had been almost twentyy years since the last major tsunami had hit this part of the world, after which most of the survivors had been evacuated to southern Europe although many of the local Indonesian scientist and engineers joined the railgun project along with a small number from a nearby farming community. The thought of living underground was too much for many people, but for others it was both a great adventure and a chance to remain in their homeland in relative safety.

The four wheel drive took a hard left turn and dropped suddenly as it drove down a huge metal ramp into a pit one hundred meters long and thirty meters wide. At the end of the pit was the entrance to a man made tunnel with two massive open doors on the sides. Harry pulled to the left as a low loader full of mining machinery exited the tunnel and made its way up the ramp to the outside world.

"We're leaving some of the equipment in the outer warehouse; the rest is being shipped out. The launch items and manufacturing machinery are further in near the main Railgun access points" Harry informed Professor Adisa.

"Light and water inlets completed?"

"Finished last month and all camouflaged" Harry stated proudly "We've even painted the gun exit on Mount Singgalang so you'd have no hope of seeing it from the ground unless you knew it was there."

The vehicle exited the far end of the underground warehouse and continued down the next large tunnel before entering another expansive underground space. Much of the area lay empty save for a large number of industrial machines, still on pallets and wrapped in plastic. Harry parked the four wheel drive near a pair of double doors on the far right side; this was the first door in the complex not big enough to drive a truck through and it led past several corridors of offices and laboratories, and on to the main residential section of the complex.

Back in his rooms for the first time in a few months, the only thought on Professor Adisa's mind was how to obtain an extended period of uninterrupted rest, but sleep would not come easily. Foggy images of April Dias flashed in and out of his head reminding him also of the family he had lost so many years ago.

Linton had always felt the heavy burden of guilt over the death of his wife and children. Their home in Jamaica had been only a few kilometres from the coast and had been flooded on more than one occasion during rough tropical weather, but when the threat of a meteor strike tsunami loomed, the professor considered the risk of staying as far too great. So when the opportunity came to leave the island and work on the railgun project in Germany, Linton had jumped at the chance knowing also it would give his teenage children the best chance of training for Mars. He was soon to learn however, there was nowhere left on Earth that could truly be called safe.

The guilt and sadness Linton felt soon gave way to seething anger. There was no malice in the meteorite that had killed his family along with almost a million other people, nor in the gravitational forces that sent it hurtling towards Earth. The same could not be said for those responsible for Aprils death; this had become a fight of ideals between those willing to spend their entire lives working for the selfless goal of preserving humanity, and those who's greed and self importance would lead them to kill and steal just because they believed they were entitled.

The sound of a two note chime brought Linton back to the present; he rose from his bed and wrapped a long gown over his pyjamas. The chime sounded a second time as Linton exited his bedroom and walked over to the front door.

"Oh... sorry Professor, we didn't realised you had already gone to bed" Willow apologised.

Linton smiled and a tear came to his eye when he saw Sarah Spencer standing behind Willow Pascal with a small bundle in her arms.

"Not at all, not at all" Professor Adisa motioned for them to come in out of the passageway.

"We just wanted to ask if we could move Sarah into a larger unit" Willow asked "since she now has an unexpected addition to her life."

Linton held out his arms and gave Sarah a 'May I?' look. Both ladies could not help but notice the conflicted emotions showing on the Professor's face as he held the child once again.

"Certainly Sarah" he nodded "Do you wish to move straight away?"

"After breakfast tomorrow would be fine" she responded "We've already talked to some of the construction engineers about getting some furniture like a cot and a high chair, built before they finish off the new sectors; I hope you don't mind."

"Of course not Sarah; nothing is too good for our little blue boy. I hope you realise you don't have to take on this responsibility all by yourself."

"Thank you Professor but..." Sarah looked away as the memory returned "...it was April's last request of me to keep him safe."

"I can't say for sure, but it's always possible he will have to be sent to Mars to be with his father."

"I didn't think of that" the young lady was suddenly very worried.

"Remember Sarah, you're not alone in this" Linton insisted as he handed the baby back.

"Thank you sir. I suppose we should let you get back to bed, we can always talk about this in the morning."

"Goodnight Professor" Willow nodded as they left.

"Yes, goodnight" Linton smiled and closed the door.

New thoughts and worries filled Linton's head as he returned to his bedroom; tomorrow was going to be a busy day.

* * *

 **Okay then; two more chapters of The Ship and then comes a little break from this story for a Dragon Riders short called 'Beware the Wrath of the Nadder Rider'.**

 **After this little tale has been published, the main story of the 'Life on the Belt' series starts with April's son as a fifteen year old still living underground (but not for long of course).**

 **Thanks again for taking the time to read and I'll see you in a few days.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Bob Dylan posed the question 'How many roads must a man walk down?' and for this he was given the Nobel Prize for Literature. Douglas Adams revealed to us the answer was not blowing in the wind, but was in fact 42 and for his contribution, he got diddly squat.**

 **("** _ **It's an injustice it is, yeah!**_ **" Calimero)**

The Ship

Part 6

Early the next morning, Olive Roux strode into the municipal office with a strong felling of trepidation. Sleep had not come easy for her either as the strange events of the previous day continued to churn around inside her head, threatening to bring her delicately balanced plans crashing down around her. She had a good forty minutes up her sleeve until a breakfast appointment with Prime Governor Redding, so Olive decided to check back in at the communications office.

"I hope you have good news for me today" was her only greeting as she entered.

"I hope so too ma'am, what kind of good news would you be looking for?"

"Have you received confirmation the scuttle order has been carried out?" Roux asked.

"No ma'am; we have not been able to make firm contact with the ship at all."

Roux felt a tightening in her chest as the radio operators news sank in.

"What do you mean exactly when you say, firm contact?" she asked.

"Your message was sent and relayed, but we have not been able to make two way contact so I can't verify if it was received or not."

This was certainly not the way Olive wanted to start her day.

"What was the ships last reported position?" she asked.

"Northwest of the Marshall Islands ma'am."

"And what assets do we have in the area?"

The radio operator ran to the telephone and made a very frantic call. Within two minutes he was reporting back to his agitated superior.

"The USS Ernie Jackson carrier group is currently six hundred and twenty kilometres north of West Papua ma'am."

"Contact the Ernie Jackson at once and tell them to find that ship" Roux ordered.

"At once ma'am but..."

"What!" she snapped back.

"It's always possible the EFA sent another aircraft and..."

The radio operator was quite surprised to see Olive Roux's countenance lift.

"Right... I never thought..." Olive pondered this new idea for a moment.

"Do you still want me to contact the Ernie Jackson ma'am?"

"Yes; tell them to find that ship or confirm its sinking."

"Right away ma'am" the operator nodded.

As Olive walked out of the communications office, she wondered if it could actually be true. Had EFA operatives really found the ship and attacked it? If it had been captured, the council would have every reason to send a squadron of fighter jets to blow it out of the water and if it had been sunk, her worries were over. Olive smiled as she began to feel the pendulum of fate swing her way once more, but what if she was wrong? What if the ship was still out there but nobody knew precisely where?

Roux stopped dead in her tracks before hurrying back to the communications office; she had to get new orders sent to Sumatra at once.

Professor Adisa woke with a start and stabbed at the alarm clock stop button but no matter how hard he hit it, the screeching just would not cease. After a few seconds, his brain started to work again and he realised at last it was not his wake up call, but the Railgun Complex emergency alarm.

After falling out of bed, Linton staggered out of his bedroom and over too his computer. He slipped on his headset and began to shout.

"WILL SOMEONE PLEASE SHUT THAT BLOODY ALARM OFF AND TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON AROUND HERE?"

Seven seconds later the audio alarm cut out but there was still a red light flashing above the professor's front door.

"Sid Cartwright here sir" a voice spoke through Professor Adisa's headset "Sorry about the rude awakening but we've been ordered into immediate lockdown."

"What? Why?" Linton enquiry was short and to the point.

"We've just been informed by the Ruling Council sir; there's a good chance the EFA know our approximate location."

"But we can't close off the base till we've unloaded the ship" Linton protested.

"All contact with the ship has been lost sir and the council believe it may have been sunk, or is now under EFA control. Either way sir, we can't let them find the railgun."

"Alright yes" Linton realised Sid was right just as he noticed he was still in his night attire.

"Get in contact with Willow, Harry and Doctor Vieira and tell them to meet me in Central Control in twenty minutes."

"Will do Professor" Sid replied before the line went dead.

As soon as he had dressed, Linton left his room and ran straight into a land of organised chaos. The corridors between his rooms and Central Control reminded him of a department store on Christmas Eve. People were running in all directions and almost all of them were carrying more than they could handle safely; the whole place was a disaster in the making.

The half panicked throng could only slow the Professor down slightly as he made his way deeper into the complex so when he finally arrived in the control room, he found Sid and Henry Deming were the only ones there.

"I've contacted Willow and Doctor Vieira and they'll be here soon" Sid offered in explanation "But Harry is outside co-ordinating the machinery."

"I saw them removing most of his equipment yesterday, so what's left to co-ordinate?" Linton asked.

"There won't be enough time to ship all the large equipment out of the area and if he leaves it nearby, the EFA will know we're here. We may as well put up a strobe light on a radio beacon."

"So what's he going to do with it all?"

"Stack parking it in the outer warehouse" Sid admitted.

"So we're going to lose all that space? Dammit!"

"We could always move some long term storage items down to the far end of the railgun since we won't be extending it anytime soon."

"Sid, you are a certified genius."

"I thought you already knew that" the engineer grinned.

Willow walked into the room at last, just as the com line chimed.

"You beckoned Prof?" she enquired.

"Yes Willow; I want your team to see to the payload bays and booster stores. Don't let anyone over fill them or store anything hazardous near anything explosive."

"I'm on it" she nodded and turned to Sid "When you're done here, you and Jeana start in store six with the old S.R.B's."

"You got it Boss, as soon as Professor Adisa takes this call."

Linton suddenly realised Sid had been standing next to him holding the com phone.

"It's the Doc" Sid informed Linton.

"Where are you Quill? the Professor asked when he had taken the phone.

"Sorry I couldn't meet you Linton but we've already had a few minor injuries so I can't leave the medical bay."

"Do you need anything?"

"Yes; I need everyone to watch what they're doing and stop having accidents. Apart from that, don't worry Linton because we're all set for lockdown here."

"I'll let you get back to your patients then" Professor Adisa replied and put down the phone.

Taking a moment to collect his thoughts, Linton realised he was now alone in the room with the biologist, Doctor Henry Deming. The quiet Indonesian scientist just sat and smiled like an oasis of calm at the centre of a tempest.

"Shouldn't you be doing something?" Linton snapped.

"Yes and I'm doing it now. I've just been on the phone with Henry organising the evacuation of all the local people who do not wish to go into lockdown with us. Some are going to higher ground but most wish to join their countrymen in South America and Europe."

"So none are staying here?" Linton asked.

"Nine will remain in the complex including four engineers. They still desire to stay close to home even though they will be far underneath it."

"So what are you going to do now apart from sit there grinning?"

"I'm going to tell you to calm down my friend. This lockdown may have come sooner than expected but we knew it was on the cards. Trust your people Linton; they know what to do."

"But I still need to oversee the whole operation and make sure..."

"That is true Linton" Henry interrupted "but you don't need to impede the flow of work to do so. Look at Quill for example; you called him here for your little meeting but he did not come because he had people to see to in the medical bay, so he called you here instead and you still got all the information you needed. So get out there and supervise; answer questions and solve problems but trust you people to do the same. Remember Linton, a professor is just a glorified teacher after all."

"Yeah... well... it's still better than being just a doctor... a glorified nurse."

"Oh, I am so wounded" Deming smiled broadly as he clutched his chest "and I'm not that kind of doctor."

Linton grabbed a portable comms unit, walked out of the office and headed for the outer warehouse. He hated it when Henry was right and he was right far too often. Once he had fought his way passed the heavy machinery, Linton caught a lift on one of the trucks on its way out to pick up more equipment than the base needed or could handle. He was pleased to find Harry co-ordinating traffic at the top of the ramp.

"No don't stack the forklifts yet, we still need them for unloading" Harry barked into his headset.

"Well if we run out of room, we'll just leave them in the tunnel... or the pit 'cause nobodies gonna need to go there for a while; oh hello Linton."

"You look like you've got your hands full Harry" Professor Adisa shouted over a rumbling truck.

"Mine and everyone else's. I'm glad you've turned up 'cause we need to talk."

"You should have come to my fascinating meeting then." Linton smirked.

"What?"

"Never mind; what can I do for you Harry?"

"Three of my construction engineers have requested to stay here. They're good people and will help out by continuing with base construction. In time that should free up some space in the outer warehouse and give you a chance to clear the tunnels."

"But the tunnels are clear" Linton noted.

"They won't be when I'm done. I've got no way of shipping out all this equipment in time and if I leave it on the surface, the EFA will know they're in the right place and you're as good as dead. Once all the gear is stowed, I'll be parking the last of the trucks in the ramp tunnel, so you'll have to deal with them later. As soon as the ramp has been raised, we'll bury it with a couple of old graders and skid steers and spread some foliage around so it won't be spotted from the air."

"What about the airstrip by the beach?" Linton wondered.

"What airstrip?" Harry gave a wry smile "It's already half buried and partly torn up so by the time I'm done with it, anyone seeing it will think it was abandoned ten years ago. The only gear left on the surface will be the old graders and stuff and you would expect to find crap like that everywhere so it shouldn't arouse any suspicion from the EFA if they should find any of it."

"So how are you getting out?"

"There are three Ospreys waiting near the coast" the chief engineer grinned.

"Harry, you astound me sometimes."

"Didn't you know Linton, I'm a genius."

"Yes, I seem to be surrounded by them this morning."

Linton spent the next two hours watching Harry fill up his base with equipment he may never use. In that time only three people called his comms unit to check on some small detail proving once again, Henry Deming was right and everybody did know exactly what they were doing.

"Well that's the last of them" Harry declared as the last truck rumbled down the ramp.

Linton watched as it disappeared down the tunnel until only the sound of its diesel engine could be heard echoing back towards him. Eventually the sound ceased when the engine was cut signifying the last machinery loaded vehicles had been parked and may never move again. Neither man broke the silence as they stood and waited until the driver finally emerged and began to climb the ramp.

"I was really excited when we broke ground here thirty years ago" Linton recalled "and when we had our first successful launch, I was ecstatic. Over time we expanded the underground network to become the best Mars Base trouble shooting test bed on the planet and I was thrilled. Now we have to be just like Mars; totally cut off and self sufficient... and I am terrified."

"Well thanks to you and your people Mars won't have to be completely cut off and self sufficient for a long time yet. There are enough supplies and manufacturing equipment down there for you to keep launching for many years to come" Harry reminded the Professor.

"True; and I knew this day would but I thought I'd have more time to prepare myself" Linton replied.

"There must be over a thousand people on Mars by now." Harry stated.

"Almost two actually."

"And you have about a hundred and fifty people building and sending equipment and food; do you think Mars Base could survive without you?"

"They would if they had too Harry" Linton noted "We're just making the expansion a little easier."

"Don't under sell your role Linton; Mars expansion would be at a slow crawl without this facility and the population would have levelled off at about eight hundred colonists."

The two men fell silent again as the last truck driver finally reached the top of the ramp.

"I suppose this is it" Linton noted.

"Goodbye my friend" Harry smiled as the pair shook hands.

"Have a pleasant trip back home and give my love to your family."

"I will; Good luck Linton."

The Professor stepped onto the ramp for possibly the last time and began the long walk down. The mention of Harry's family caused the engineer to think about the losses his friend had suffered and he hoped the future had more happiness in store for the Professor; although being locked in an underground complex did not seem like a great way to start.

When Linton Adisa reached the tunnel entrance at the far end of the pit, he turned for one last look at the outside world. The tiny figure of Harry gave a small salute wave and stepped back as the Professor opened a small panel by the tunnel door and turned a large red key to the right. Huge electric motors began to turn hydraulic pumps and the massive ramp began its slow rise.

Nine and a half minutes later the last of the sunlight was cut off and Professor Linton Adisa stood alone in the massive pit. Several more loud crashes followed as the ramp was stabilised by locking beams and support struts.

"Come on boys" Harry called to his crew "Let's bury this thing and get out of here."

As the sound of skid steer loaders burying the ramp echoed throughout the pit, Linton walked back into the tunnel to another wall panel. With the turn of another key, two huge steel doors began to move inwards but this time, the Professor did not stop to watch them close.

 **And so with one more chapter to go, we are just a little closer to the next Dragon story followed by the adventures of April's son as a young man. Hope you all have a fun holiday season as I am really looking forward to Christmas. Not long now :-D**


	8. Chapter 8

**Here we are at last with the final chapter of the set up. Sorry it's a bit of a downer.**

* * *

The Ship

Part 7

Mid afternoon found Harry and his team near what remained of the airstrip by the beach. They dumped their earth moving equipment off the side of the dirt road and walked the last five hundred meters to the old camp only to find there were no Ospreys there to pick them up. Waiting instead was a Skycrane helicopter with a very odd looking cargo pod slung underneath.

"This isn't our usual transport" Harry stated the obvious "and you're not our usual pilot either."

"No sir, I'm Lieutenant Neville Sage and someone very important and influential sent me to take you back in style."

"Really?" Harry noted with surprise "I think I may have to check this out."

The engineer led his men over to the white pod firmly attached to the cargo bay of the helicopter. There were window lining each side, but they were tinted to almost black so he could gain no clue by looking through to the inside. There was no handle on the sliding door, just a flat blue panel on the side and when Harry placed his finger on it, the door slid silently open.

"Well will you look at this."

Following their boss inside the others saw what had Harry so excited. Plush reclining seats, wood panelling and soft carpet made a big difference to the usual class of military transport. There was even a stocked bar fridge between each pair of seats.

"Help yourselves to a drink gentleman, but don't forget to put on your seatbelts" Sage told them "and as soon as we're underway, you'll be receiving a very special call."

The men did indeed each help themselves to a beer as Sage closed the door and walked around to the cockpit.

"I could get used to this boss" one of the men declared as the helicopter lifted off."

"Though I can't promise to always provide you all with this level of comfort, I do believe you have earned the right to a little bit of pampering."

The last voice came from speakers mounted at the front of the pod. In between them was a blank screen that flicked into life to reveal the speaker as none other than Prime Governor Redding himself. The reaction to his sudden appearance caught them all off guard and two men even tried to stand up as a mark of respect for their leader, forgetting about the seatbelts they wore.

"Please gentlemen, remain seated" Redding smiled "I want you to relax but there are a few things I needed to be sure of and I thought it was best to go straight to the proverbial horse's mouth."

"Certainly sir" Harry agreed "How can we help you?"

"I just want to run through a couple of details; firstly, are you the last of the construction crew to leave the complex?"

"Yes sir; we've done all we can and frankly, it's nice to be heading home permanently and not just for a short leave."

"Yes indeed, I can imagine. So Professor Adisa and all his people are now in full lockdown?"

"That's right sir" Harry nodded "there is no one left on the surface in the entire area."

"You may have heard we had lost all contact with the ship and no one is sure where it is. Do you have any idea what may have become of it?" Redding asked eagerly.

"Not a clue sir, but if it has fallen into enemy hands, they won't be able to make any use of its cargo without Linton's railgun."

"And nobody knows precisely where it is apart from the people inside it and the ruling council" Redding noted.

"And all the construction teams" Harry corrected "and we're never gonna tell anyone."

"Never has a more factual statement been made; you may proceed now Lieutenant Sage."

It took Harry and his men a few seconds to realise what had happened when the explosive bolts fired and the pod began its fatal plunge towards the ocean far below. Their absolute confusion was short lived however when Sage detonated a secondary devise leaving nothing left but small pieces of debris to rain down and settle on the water.

"That's the last of them sir" Sage informed Redding.

"And still no sign of the ship Lieutenant?"

"No sir and we've covered a three hundred kilometre corridor between its last know location and Sumatra."

"Well I suppose it won't matter if it does turn up now Adisa is out of the picture." Redding mused "What I wouldn't give for a surveillance satellite right now."

"You could always have the Mars Transfer Vehicle do a low pass over the area while it's in orbit" Sage suggested.

"And if they do find it, how do we keep word of our deception from getting back to Mars? Think clearly Lieutenant if you want to keep your seat on the next launch vehicle."

"Sorry sir, it won't happen again" Sage apologised.

"Just get your butt back to the carrier. You'll find your Nevada transfer orders are with the captain now."

"Yes sir; and thank you sir."

Prime Governor Redding switched off the communication unit and swung around in his chair to face the others members of the ruling council; a small select group of men and women who had no hope of ever being sent to Mars. Primarily due to they lack any of the skills needed to help build and grow the colony, but also because the youngest of the group being almost sixty years old.

"So that's it" one of them stated "it's finished, over; we've done it."

"I know it was the right thing to do, but I still can't get over the fact that my grandson is on Mars and I never had the chance to know him" a middle aged lady shook her head forlornly.

"I know it's been difficult for everyone but we had to distance ourselves so no one would notice one third of the Mars colonists were our own families" Redding reminded them all.

"The Prime Governor is right; you may have never met the young man, but at least you know he'll be safe if the Earth is destroyed and your family line will go on, as will mine" a third noted.

A general murmur of agreement filled the room as Redding stood.

"On that note, I call this final meeting of the Earth First Alliance to a close and effectively disband the organisation."

* * *

"How are you feeling" Roux asked her forlorn friend.

April was silent for the longest time as Olive sat and put her arm around the grieving mother's shoulder. The transfer bus would arrive at the launch pad in another ten minutes leaving very little time for April to compose herself.

"I just don't know if I can go through with all this Olive. Maybe you should give my seat to someone else and I'll stay here on Earth."

"And what do you think Luis will say when he finds out his wife won't be joining him on the journey to Mars?"

"Oh my god" April's head dropped into her hands "Luis is going to hate me."

"Don't be silly April, Luis loves you."

"But I killed his son Olive; how could he ever forgive me?"

Olive lifted April's chin and glared into her bloodshot eyes.

"Listen to me April; you did NOT kill your son; the EFA were the ones responsible, not you."

"But Olive..."

"No April! If I was in your position I would have done exactly the same thing. A big stable well defended ship is a much safer place than a flimsy unarmed helicopter when there's an attack drone buzzing around. No one could expect you to know what would happen and Luis will understand. He will be upset, just like you are but you need each other to get through this."

April did not smile but Olive's words appeared to do the trick and there was no more talk of staying behind.

Very little else was said during the rest of the trip and seventy three minutes later, April's life on Earth came to a close in a very un-climactic way as the massive rocket lifted off carrying the Super Dragon capsule and the twenty colonists within. In another eight hours her ship would dock with the Mars Transfer Vehicle and she would see her husband again for the first time in many months.

April did not want to see the disappointment in his eyes, but she longed to be comforted in his arms once more.

* * *

 **Six to Eight months ago, I was 10 chapters into the next part of the story when I went back and wrote several shorts about the first time the meteors hit Earth, the first 4 people to arrive on Mars (3 died) and the start of the war with the EFA. They all help me keep the history of the tale straight, but they were all far too depressing to publish; happily the next part isn't.**

 **Dragons next week and then the next book of Life on the Belt soon after.**


End file.
